In a globally groundbreaking initiative, Vodafone India has announced partnership with Twitter to drive faster, smarter and better mobile internet usage among its millions of customers.

Under this arrangement, Vodafone India customers will experience the “Twitter for Android” app and mobile.twitter.com free of any mobile charges for three months.

Vivek Mathur, Chief Commercial Officer, Vodafone India, said, “Vodafone India has always been at the forefront of providing innovative and user-friendly mobile internet experience for its customers in India. Our partnership with Twitter and this offering is yet another step in our ongoing endeavour to make mobile internet more fun, smart, engaging and easy.”

Rishi Jaitly, Market Director, Twitter India, said, “As a real-time information network full of links, media, and content, our platform offers the mobile ecosystem novel ways to introduce their subscribers to all the Internet has to offer. We are pleased to partner with Vodafone India to offer its subscribers a unique opportunity to use Twitter to follow the people and organizations they care about. Whether it is hearing the latest news, connecting with cricket stars in real time, or laughing at the day’s best jokes, Twitter brings Indians together and closer to our interests…..See More

Alcatel-Lucent (EURONEXT PARIS AND NYSE: ALU) and Qualcomm Technologies(NASDAQ:QCOM) have announced their plans to collaborate to develop small cell base stations that enhance 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi networks to improve wireless connectivity in residential and enterprise environments. These next-generation small cells would combine Alcatel-Lucent’s proven expertise and innovation in developing small cell solutions with Qualcomm Technologies’ industry-leading mobile and networking technologies, to enable ultra-broadband wireless communications.

The planned collaboration brings the two industry leaders in wireless communications together in the development of small cells to enhance wireless network reception in environments such as urban areas, shopping malls and other enterprise venues.

Michel Combes, CEO, Alcatel-Lucent, said, “This initiative perfectly illustrates the Shift Plan we announced last month, which will see Alcatel-Lucent focus on growth technologies, including those facilitating ultra-broadband access. We also said we would actively seek collaboration with the key industry players. In working together with Qualcomm Technologies – a world leader in advanced wireless platform solutions such as its small cell chipsets -, Alcatel-Lucent will continue to be positioned at the forefront of innovation in the small cells market.”

“Small cells greatly increase capacity by bringing the network closer to the user, thus enabling operators to serve the anticipated 1000x growth in mobile data traffic and dramatically improving experience for wireless subscribers. Working together with industry leaders like Alcatel-Lucent, we can accelerate the dense deployment of small cells globally, driving another significant leap in advanced wireless broadband technology and services,” said Dr Paul E. Jacobs, Chairman & CEO, Qualcomm Incorporated.

With the growing popularity of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices using high-bandwidth video and gaming applications, wireless network operators and service providers are looking to small cells to cost-effectively meet the rapidly-expanding demand for mobile data capacity and network coverage. By working together, Alcatel-Lucent and Qualcomm Technologies intend to accelerate…..See More

In order to support data-intensive workloads in a more automated, responsive system that increases efficiency and lowers operational expense, Cisco(NASDAQ:CSCO) andNetApp(NASDAQ:NTAP) have jointly broadened the FlexPod portfolio with new validated designs across the entire portfolio. This will help to make data center infrastructure more responsive to applications’ dynamic needs. The enhanced FlexPod portfolio includes FlexPod Datacenter for core enterprise data centers and service providers, FlexPod Express for medium-sized businesses and branch offices, and FlexPod Select for data-intensive workloads.

The new offerings will ensure to unify branch offices, core data centers, service providers, and dedicated application infrastructures. The FlexPod Datacenter solutions now feature the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switch.

The new FlexPod Select family of this FlexPod portfolio will enable to address targeted workloads, such as high-performance applications. FlexPod Select with Hadoop will minimize the risk in deploying Hadoop by validating the open-source analytics platform for storage, compute, connectivity, and management. Organizations will be able to deploy FlexPod Select easily and to scale seamlessly as application requirements grow.

In order to reinforce its commitment to entrepreneurs, Microsoft(NASDAQ:MSFT) has consolidated all of its start-up-related offerings under a single umbrella. In alignment with the recent Microsoft Ventures announcement, Microsoft India will now offer start-ups a single point of entry to engage with Microsoft through a broad-based and holistic approach – featuring a seed fund, an accelerator programme and the community evangelism programme called BizSpark.

Microsoft Ventures in India will be spearheaded by Mukund Mohan. Ravi Narayan, previously the Managing Director of MentorPartners, has joined the team and will be responsible for Microsoft Ventures Accelerator and its connections with other community initiatives.

Mukund Mohan said, “Through this coordinated effort, we will now engage with entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey from ideation to maturity and support them with compelling offerings. Our community evangelism programme will provide entrepreneurs easy access to technology and resources, so that they can focus on exploring ideas. The accelerator will provide access to mentors and technical experts so that they can convert their ideas into products. The fund will offer seed investments to start-ups that demonstrate early business success. In all, through one focussed effort, we will provide the tools, resources and expertise that start-ups need as they innovate, build and grow…..See More

ASUS has announced the launch of its latest M51AC desktop with Windows 8 operating systemand powered by the latest fourth-generation Intel Core processors (Haswell) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics. The M51AC also has a Wireless Charger tray for wireless recharging of smartphones and tablets and is the first desktop PC to feature ASUS SonicMaster audio technology for enhanced sound quality. It also features ASUS Power Pack – a removable UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) that acts like a mini UPS for the PC providing 60 seconds of power backup and after the 60 seconds it automatically deploys hibernate mode to save the user session.

The M51AC desktop features exclusive ASUS Smart Cooling System which reduces dust accumulation, lowers operating temperatures by up to 11.4℃ and Q Fan Quietness Technology adjusts CPU fan speeds according to its current load for stable, reliable operation. It comes in a matte finish with a textured front façade that resists fingerprints marks better than glossy surfaces. ASUS USM (Universal Storage Module) makes expanding hard drive storage easy and offers data rates twice that of USB 3.0 and it also features front USB 3.0 ports with Ai Charger technology for rapid recharging of mobile devices. SuperSpeed USB 3.0 delivers up to ten times faster transfer rates compared to previous generation USB, and charges devices up to 50% faster.

Vinay Shetty, Country Head – Component Business, ASUS (India), said, “We have launched M51AC desktop today in sync with our strategy of offering feature rich and unique desktops in the mid- and high-end segments. The M51AC is a fully featured multimedia desktop and has various unique features like the built-in ASUS Power Pack which works as a UPS as well as a portable battery to charge your devices. It also features a wireless charging tray along with ASUS SonicMaster audio technology and the desktop provides sufficient computing muscle with the latest fourth-generation Haswell Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GTX650 graphics card. For our customers’ peace of mind, we are also offering a robust 3-year onsite warranty on all our desktops.”

Dassault Systèmes has reportedly announced acquisition of SFE GmbH. The addition of SFE’s technology to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform enhances Dassault Systèmes’ transportation and mobility industry solution experiences, such as “Target Zero Defect”. This acquisition expands its CATIA and SIMULIA applications, bringing to the market an innovative technology for seamless transitions, from early conceptual engineering and performance optimization to detailed body design. The amount of the transaction was not disclosed.

“The combined SFE and Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE platform capabilities will lead to complete coverage of the entire value chain for the transportation and mobility industry. From quick modelling to post-processing analysis, to product performance simulation and shape optimization, the full design process is integrated. I see numerous places where this capability can bring value to other industries, not just transportation and mobility,” said Bernard Charlès, President & CEO, Dassault Systèmes.

“This is an exciting development for SFE and its customers and partners. We have worked closely with Dassault Systèmes over the past few years and we have seen firsthand its passion for its customers, as well as its vision for harmonizing products and how they are experienced in the real world. SFE’s customers will receive significant value through Dassault Systèmes’ global support organization and well-recognized commitment to research and development,” said Hans Zimmer, CEO & Founder, SFE GmbH.

The transaction includes the purchase of SFE GmbH, its various products, SFE CONCEPT….See More

As per the latest report, Spectrum Training has been recognized as an Authorized Education partner by Juniper Networks in India. Spectrum Training is well equipped with labs to provide global standard technical training to enterprises based in the region.

Spectrum Training is now authorized to provide world-class technical training courses on products from Juniper Networks in India. These courses are designed upon proprietary training curriculum direct from Juniper Networks. Course begins from introductory level to intermediate.

Sanjeev Singh, Managing Director, Spectrum Training, said, “We have been providing high-quality training on the product portfolio from Juniper Networks for the last seven years. We have set a benchmark in EMEA, by being the top performing partner in the region, and we are glad that we are getting this opportunity in India now and are looking forward to repeat the same success in the Indian subcontinent also in the future.”